story4950.xml

story4950.xml

born-digital

story

yes

no

2002-09-11

I'm a 15-year-old high school student, so on September 11, 2001, I was making my breakfast and the sack lunch I was going to take to school. By chance, I turned on the radio. The first thing I heard was "It's been confirmed, a plane has crashed into the World Trade Center." Now, I hadn't ever heard of the WTC before, and the only thing I knew of that had to do with world trade was the riots that had happened in Seattle a few years earlier. Seattle, as some of you know, is about an hour and a half from where I live. So, thinking they were talking about Seattle, I raced upstairs to wake up my still sleeping mom. She, of course, knew what they were talking about (The WTC, I mean) We turned on the TV and watched, shocked, as the second plane smashed into Tower 2. Mom just stared at the screen, shocked, and said "This looks like something out of a bad Independence Day movie." By the time I left for school, the Pentagon had been hit and the first tower had fallen. At school, we cried and comforted each other. The TVs stayed on all day. I don't think I've ever been so scared in my life. No one knew what would happen next, if another attack would occur. Names of possible targets sprung up: Sea Tac Airport, buildings in Seattle, the Golden Gate Bridge, LAX, the nuclear power plant near Walla Walla. When the school day ended, I raced home and turned on the TV. All my life, I have never felt such a feeling of helplessness. As I'm involved in a lot of theater, I know quite a few people in NYC, some via the Internet, and for all I knew, they could have been dead, and I had no way to reach of them. When my dad came home, he found me curled up on the couch, just staring at the screen. I was so numb, I couldn't even cry. That night, as I expressed my frustrations of being helpless and wanting to do something, he drove me to Wal-Mart, where we bought rolls of red, white, and blue ribbon. I spent that night making patriotic pins and passed them out September 12 at school. (Today, September 11, 2002, I am proud to say that almost everyone I gave a ribbon to was wearing it.) I sent one to our city mayor and received a thank you. I sent one to the President and the First Lady, and was surprised to actually get a personal answer later in March. I also went on the Internet later that night on September 11 and sent out an e-mail to all my friends, telling them I was worried and that I hoped they?d reach me soon. After three days, I had heard from all of them and found out that one had sustained a fractured wrist and had to be treated for smoke/dust inhalation, and that her father had been killed. My friends and I rallied together around her, sending her e-mail greeting cards and, in one case, virtual flowers. But the rest of them were alive and unhurt. On September 11, 2001, I saw my country and home attacked. But on September 11, 2001, I saw Americans prove we will band together, to overcome all obstacles placed in our path. I watched Americans come together and stand strong, showing the world that they can not bring us down. We are the United States of America, and united we stand, one nation, under God, forever. To anyone who thinks they can destroy us and our pride, I say this- Fat chance. To those who thought they could hurt us through the attacks- Watch out. We will find you and you will pay for what you have done. And to all victims of September 11, we want you to know: We will never forget.